[cf. CANT sb.4, and the med.L. cognate verbs incantāre, accantāre to proclaim, cry, put up to auction, there mentioned.] To dispose of by auction. Chiefly Irish.
The first quotation may belong to CANT v.1 to divide.
[1570. Wills & Inv. N. C. (1835), 328. I will yt all my goods aftr my deathe shalbe canted & sold at my foredore & then to be distributed in money by euen portions to my executors.]
1720. Swift, Irish Manuf., Wks. 1761, III. 4. Canting their own lands upon short leases, and sacrificing their oldest tenants for a penny an acre. Ibid. (1723), Power of Bps., ibid. 262. [Irish] landlords … cant their lands to the highest bidder.
1828. T. C. Croker, Fairy Leg. S. Irel., II. 236. Tim the driver swears if we don’t pay up our rent, he’ll cant every ha’perth we have.
1839. W. Carleton, Fardorougha (ed. 2), 46. He … canted all we had at half price, and turned us to starve on the world.
1880. in Antrim & Down Gloss.
† 2. To enhance by competitive bidding. rare.
a. 1745. Swift, Hist. Eng., Will. II. (R.). When two monks were outvying each other in canting the price of an abbey.
